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4th of July Float & Hang

I took my mother in law and son on an over nighter at our local creek on the 4th. Being that I just got back from a week of scout camping,I felt lucky to be back in the woods.Weather was light rain for most of the day,but it didnt matter since it was warm and muggy. Saw deer, herons, egrets and all the little critter you see in the woods.

Camped on a small island and it appears no one has been on since my last trip. Maintaining a fire was a challenge due to the wet wood, but we were able to maintain a small fire with almost constant supervision.

After dinner (8:45) I paddled upstream for a little smallie fishing since the rain finally quit. Landed a few decent smallies and decided to float back to the island when in the distance, I could see fire works going off. I got the rare opportunity to float down stream and watch the fire works from my yak. My son layed in his hammock and watch the show. It was great.

Upon return to the island, I had a big Walmart thing of fireworks stuff for my son.

He put on our own firework show on the bank and it was a treat to be doing something like this with my son on the 4th.

My mother in law made chocolate eclairs over the fire and they were excellent. She is a former girl scout leader and hold her own in the woods. I gave her a CC LEX a couple of years ago so she hangs like the rest of us.

I got in the mail on Thursday a HH Hex fly from Heescha and took it along with my cheapo ebay hammock. Didnt feel like bothering with the Hennessey this trip since the bugs werent an issue. Set up my rig next to the water and fell asleep to the ripple of the water. Son was using his LEX with my SG camo tarp.

The next day my son tells me there is something wrong with his yak.I look over and he is about underwater in his yak.

My son lost his drain plug and we didnt find out until he was riding on the back of his yak messing around(basically filling up the yak). We got to the bank, drained the yak, added some duct tape and we were good to go.

He routinely takes turns standing up in his yak and paddling, sitting on the front or back and paddles.

I really love the time with my son. He loves the outdoors and has plenty experience at age 12. We had some great bonding times that I would never get at home.

I took my mother in law and son on an over nighter at our local creek on the 4th. Being that I just got back from a week of scout camping,I felt lucky to be back in the woods.Weather was light rain for most of the day,but it didnt matter since it was warm and muggy. Saw deer, herons, egrets and all the little critter you see in the woods.

Camped on a small island and it appears no one has been on since my last trip. Maintaining a fire was a challenge due to the wet wood, but we were able to maintain a small fire with almost constant supervision.

After dinner (8:45) I paddled upstream for a little smallie fishing since the rain finally quit. Landed a few decent smallies and decided to float back to the island when in the distance, I could see fire works going off. I got the rare opportunity to float down stream and watch the fire works from my yak. My son layed in his hammock and watch the show. It was great.

Upon return to the island, I had a big Walmart thing of fireworks stuff for my son.

He put on our own firework show on the bank and it was a treat to be doing something like this with my son on the 4th.

My mother in law made chocolate eclairs over the fire and they were excellent. She is a former girl scout leader and hold her own in the woods. I gave her a CC LEX a couple of years ago so she hangs like the rest of us.

I got in the mail on Thursday a HH Hex fly from Heescha and took it along with my cheapo ebay hammock. Didnt feel like bothering with the Hennessey this trip since the bugs werent an issue. Set up my rig next to the water and fell asleep to the ripple of the water. Son was using his LEX with my SG camo tarp.

The next day my son tells me there is something wrong with his yak.I look over and he is about underwater in his yak.

My son lost his drain plug and we didnt find out until he was riding on the back of his yak messing around(basically filling up the yak). We got to the bank, drained the yak, added some duct tape and we were good to go.

He routinely takes turns standing up in his yak and paddling, sitting on the front or back and paddles.

I really love the time with my son. He loves the outdoors and has plenty experience at age 12. We had some great bonding times that I would never get at home.

"Bless you child, when you set out to thread a needle don't hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it; that's the way a woman most always does, but a man always does t'other way."
Mrs. Loftus to Huck Finn

Great report. You can always make money, but can't always make time with your kids. Keep doing that. My son of 25 years is getting married this year, and he always paddles with me at least once a year. He also has found a wife that will do it with him (us) as well.

It meant so much to him to have those overnight trips when he was young. I took him on his first trip when he was four. He is in graduate school studying urban planning and environmental policy, and I really believe the time we spent together outdoors had a whole lot to do with his choices for study and his value system. They grow up fast!!!

I don't know too many fathers who see their kids grow up and say, "I wish I had spent more time at the office."

David

Revolution is about the need to re-evolve political, economic and social justice and power back into the hands of the people, preferably through legislation and policies that make human sense. That's what revolution is about. Revolution is not about shootouts.

Sweet! That's what life's about. I see you're from central PA. The river you're on looks like a twin to the Chemung River which flows through Elmira NY, the town where I live. On what river were the pictures taken? We also do a lot of kayaking but mostly whitewater. For the Chemung and other flatwater rivers I usually take my canoe. It's not unlike car camping with a van.

Nice report. Enjoy the great times with your son - they do grow up fast. Can't get enough time with my kids no matter how much I'm with them. And get this - it was my son who prodded me to buy our first hammock last July when he returned from summer camp. He was only 11 then. Now we have 4 hammocks and have slept with sleet and 11* temps, I've started making down quilts and I have 14 yards of $1 ripstop to go with the silnylon that's waiting for a project. Ahh, the sweet addiction...